June 12, 2010

Hattie Wilcox

Down with the Pimps of Peace

His neighbors sometimes weldlate into the eveninga bevy of Harleysgather 'round the torchsilent, waiting to be jumpedand come back alive, the loudrumbling seat of powerfor those who sleep where they workscream and fight into the nightdisturbances mostly muffledby square footage big enoughto house a fleet of trucks

In a warehouse he lives alonebehind metal, walls with no windowscontent to paint in artificial lightimages of happiness and connectionchildren busy at the beachholding their mothers' handsdreaming and building with wet sandendless sunshine and shadowrippling in an oily mirageof no expectations

He reads the Tao, the nowfloats in the cool stream of wordsliving in the books of Tolle, Dyer, Chopradrinks daily from the overflowing cupin the club of the pimps of peacewho hawk the warm and steriletightly-wrapped bandages ofbrainwashing away all extremesto purge pain from its strongholdsin betrayal, hunger, hope, and desire

He speaks the language of stillnesscarries himself like a priestwho many mornings is mireddeep in the heat of chaosthat is the survival of his pastyears of childhood beatingsdifficult to reconcile even thoughhe maintains an exterior calmhaving passed with flying colorsthrough the drinking, brawlingballs of confusion yearshe long ago put behind himin the closed closetwith the rest of it

I love him and thoughhe is out of my sighthe is part of my everyday beingand each day I praythere are enough bookswith enough wordsto keep him safehis guarded heart openhis fragile soul at restenough wordsto keep his flamefrom burning downbefore he has a chanceto close his eyesand accept the touchof a hand on his skinto sleep unafraidand let someone inhis taped-up broken window

CP

Hattie Wilcox's love of poetry and piano led her to songwriting and the 2008 release of her debut CD, Red Bird Tattoo. She has won prize money for her lyrics and has lived to see her first royalty check. She continues to write poetry—her first love. Find out more at http://hattiewilcox.com/